Squalicum's Brandon Burbank kicks the ball away from Sehome's Sam Willis as Squalicum beat Sehome 3-1 in a boys' soccer game at Civic Stadium on Tuesday, April 8, 2014 in Bellingham. The Bellingham Herald

Squalicum's Brandon Burbank kicks the ball away from Sehome's Sam Willis as Squalicum beat Sehome 3-1 in a boys' soccer game at Civic Stadium on Tuesday, April 8, 2014 in Bellingham. The Bellingham Herald

Sports Blog: Sehome, Squalicum face tough district games

Both Sehome and Squalicum play tonight in Class 2A District boys’ soccer action, with the Mariners facing Lakewood at 5 p.m. and the Storm facing Cedarcrest at 7 p.m. at Civic Stadium. Squalicum is coming off a 6-0 win over Lakewood in the first round, while Sehome struggled heavily in a 4-0 loss to Cedarcrest. Here’s a brief outlook on both games.

Sehome (10-3-4, NWC 8-2-2)

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Given how both team’s played in the first round, with Lakewood losing 6-0 to Squalicum and Sehome falling 4-0 to Cedarcrest, the group that is able to bounce back best and put their previous performance behind them will win this game. The Cougars have had trouble finding the net this year, with only 24 total goals scored in 17 games. Likewise, the Mariners have had their own struggles finding consistent scoring threats, although senior Sam Willis has provided a solid punch up front. Gabe Weight and Zach Wanne, too, have been presences for coach John Sylvester’s attack, and if they continue to grow as they have this season, the breakout performances for both might be right around the corner.

Prediction:

Sehome is the better team. The Mariners win this 2-0 and end Lakewood’s season.

Squalicum has yet to taste a loss this season, although Cedarest may be one of the best team’s the Storm has faced this season. The Red Wolves enter winners of four of their last five games, and scoring hasn’t been a problem. They’ve put up 21 goals over that five-game stretch, although in the stats category, there’s nothing more impressive than Squalicum’s run of shutouts. Squalicum has a 55-5 goal differential this season, and the Storm defense hasn’t allowed a goal in 10 games. That’s more than 800 minutes of soccer without letting another team score. 800 minutes-plus. Let that sink in. Christian Chala, Gabe Guidroz and Arne Peterson are lethal scorers at all times, with Peterson nearly netting himself a hat trick in the 6-0 opening-round win over Lakewood. Add that to the dynamic B.J. Flood and David Abbott-Smith off the bench, and there’s little opposing defense can do sometimes against that much talent.

Prediction:

Squalicum 3-0. There isn’t a team in the state I would choose to defeat the Storm right now. That simple.